Advertising or decorative sign for representing images



Jar 1. 9, 1968 E. J. JOSELEVICH 3,

ADVERTISING OR DECORATIVE SIGN FOR REPRESENTING IMAGES Filed Sept. 7,1965- 2 Sheets-Shem 1 ATTORNEYS Jan. 9, 1968 EJJ. JOSELEVICH ADVERTISINGOR DECORATIVE SIGN FOR REPRESENTING IMAGES 2 Sheets-Sheet 13 Filed Sept.'7, 1965 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,362,058 ADVERTISING0R DECORATIVE SIGN FOR REPRESENTING IMAGES Eduardo Jaime Joselevich,1744 Coronel Diaz St., Buenos Aires, Argentina Filed Sept. 7, 1965, Ser.No. 485,197 Claims. (Cl. 4028) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This inventionrelates to an advertising or decorative sign for representing imagesformed of a plurality of plate-like members removably mounted on asupporting frame. The plate-like members have different degrees oftranslucency so that by suitably combining them, an image may beachieved.

Specification The present invention relates to an advertising ordecorative sign for representing images, and more particularly it refersto such a sign consisting of a plurality of hollow plate supportingframes which are provided with hook means to hang them on a box frameprovided with light reflecting means, so that it becomes easy to changethe hollow plate supporting frames hanging on said box frame and therebyto change the images of the sign.

One feature of the invention resides in that each hollow platesupporting frame is divided into a plurality of cells over whichplate-like plastic members may be removably mounted, which define amodule and the combination of these plate-like plastic members enablesto compose a substantially unlimited variety of images. Since theseplate-like plastic members are readily interchangeable, the formation ofthe images may be produced in accordance with a predetermined schedule.The plate-like plastic members have different degrees of translucency,so that by combining them in a suitable manner, the images are achieved,since different zones with different density of translucency will definedifferent portions of the image. It is preferred that the plate-likeplastic members or modules have all the same outer contour, so that asimple Way of mounting of said plate-like plastic members over saidcells can be readily obtained, at the same time as the front surface, or1n other words, the surface visible to the spectator, of the combinationof all the plate-like plastic members, defines a substantiallycontinuous surface.

The plate-like plastic members are preferably manufactured ofthermoplastic material, to facilitate the molding thereof, although anyother material which provides similar features, particularly as to thetranslucency and resiliency, may be used and therefore the expressionplate-like plastic member should not be interpreted in a limitative way.

From the translucency viewpoint, the plate-like plastic members aredivided into four series, the first of which is a series of translucidmembers, the second is a series of opaque members, the third is a seriesof translucid members having an opening and the fourth is a series ofopaque members having an opening; these third and fourth series are tobe combined either with a first type of translucid inserts or a secondtype of opaque inserts, both built preferablyof resilient plasticmaterial which are to be mounted on said second or third series ofplate-like members to cover said openings, thereby achieving severaldegrees of luminosity.

More particularly, the present invention consists in an advertising ordecorative sign for representing images, comprising at least one hollowplate supporting frame divided into cells, a plurality of plate-likeplastic members mountable over said cells and defining a substantiallycontinuous front surface on said frame, each plate-like member having aresilient skirt for mounting said platelike member over said cells, saidplate-like members comprising a first series of translucid members, asecond series of opaque members, a third series of translucid membershaving an opening and a fourth series of opaque members having anopening, a first type of translucid resilient plastic inserts and asecond type of opaque resilient plastic inserts removably mountable onsaid fourth and third series of members to cover said openings.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that one feature of the presentinvention is to provide an advertising or decorative sign which has arather low manufacturing cost and enables to produce a great variety ofcompositions for producing images and upon changing the modules allowsto readily achieve different images. Since these modules are suitablyclassified, it will be easy to organize a scheduling center and instructdifferent mounting centers, for instance in different cities as to theway of organizing the modules without requiring specially trainedoperators to perform the work.

In order to facilitate the comprehension of the present invention,reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanyingdrawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a lay-out of a portion of a sign, as seen from the frontsurface, illustrating a human eye.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view, partially in section, showingthe constitutive features of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a detail in top plan view, partially in crosssection, showingthe way of assembling a longitudinal girder with a linking post.

FIG. 4 is a similar view as FIG. 3 of the same members, but after thegirder has been linked to the post.

FIG. 5 is a cross-section of one type of the plate-like plastic member.

FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-section of the combination of several hollowplate supporting frames with the pertinent box frames to which they arehooked.

FIG. 7 is a detail in perspective view of one embodiment of the hookmeans associated with the box frame and hollow plate supporting frame.

FIG. 8 is a longitudinal section showing likewise the hook meansreferred to in FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a somewhat schematic perspective view of a supportingframe-work for the boX frame.

FIG. 10 is a detail in side elevation of the head portion of a girder.

The advertising or decorative signs are usually to be placed on suitableadvertising spaces, such as on the roofs of houses, on which astationary framework 10 is mounted, having a plurality of parallellyspaced horizontal beams 11 on which a stationary box frame 12 (FIGS. 6and 7) is to be mounted. The box frame 12 consists of a plurality ofvertical parallel light reflector casings having a rear wall 13 fixed tosaid beams 11, such as by bolts 14 (FIG. 8) and a pair of divergent sidewalls 15. Each side wall 15 ends in a hook supporting wall 16, formingwith the pertinent sidewall 15 an obtuse angle in such a way that eachhook supporting Wall 16 defines a plane substantially perpendicular tothe plane defined by the beams 11.

Thus, two adjacent light reflector casings, have one hook supportingwall 16 backed up to the adjacent hook supporting wall 16 of the nextlight reflector casing which are suitably linked together, such as byscrews 17, as clearly shown in FIG. 7 and thereby defining the box frame12. Screws 17 each further support a hook supporting member 18, to whichreference will be made later on.

Conveniently, one of the side walls 15 of each light refiector casing isprovided with a door 19 giving access to the interior of the lightreflector casing and more particularly to the light source which in thisembodiment consists of fluorescent-tubular members 20 supported bybrackets 21 which are accessible through said doors 19 in order to beable, if this should become necessary, to replace thefluorescent-tubular members 20.

The tubular members 2%) are substantially vertically arranged, so thatin combination with the light reflector casings, practically no shadowswill be produced, as will be later better understood, on the advertisingor decorative sign in spite of the existence of the longitudinal girders22 and linking posts 24 defining the hollow plate supporting frames 23(FIG. 2), to be now describe-d.

Each hollow plate supporting frame 23 is of the honeycomb type andcomprises a plurality of parallely spaced horizontal girders 22 linkedtogether by parallely spaced vertical linking posts 24, thereby defininga plurality of square shaped cells 25. Usually, both the girders 22 aswell as the posts 24 are aluminium extruded members. To obtain thehoneycomb structure, the girders 22 which have a head portion 26 (FIG.connected to the main body portion 27 through recessed portions 28 areprovided with a series of spaced apart cut-out portions 29 (FIG. 3) intowhich the linking posts 24 are housed and thereafter the portions 30 ofthe head portion 26 adjacent said outout portions 29 are bent, by meansof a cutting blow, to clamp the linking posts 24 to the girders 22, asshown in FIG. 4. Due to the blows adjacent the portions 30, pertinentrecesses 31 are formed. Thus, the honeycomb structure is achieved andsince both the head portions 26 of the girders 22 as well as the posts24 are of polygonal shape, in this particular instance of hexagonalshape, in cross-section, the cells 25 provide by means of the headportions 26 and posts 24 suitable anchoring means for the plate-likeplastic members 32, 33, 34 and 35, to which reference will be made lateron.

The honeycomb structure of the hollow plate supporting frame 23 isclosed by end members 36 to define an actual frame and which may bedefined as a bisected or as half girder 22 in that the outer surfaces ofeach of the end members 36 is a plane surface, while the rest is ofsimilar contour to girder 22, as clearly shown in FIG. 2. Thus, the ends24 of the posts 24 (FIG. 2) are in abutting relationship with thepertinent end members 36 and these end members 36 define together withthe pertinent posts 24 and girders 22 likewise similar cells as areformed in the middle portion of the hollow plate supporting frame 23 bythe girders 22, posts 24. Since it is not practical to build hollowplate supporting frames 23 of the full size to cover the entire frontsurface defined by the stationary framework 10 (FIG. 9), thesesupporting frames 23, in view of their end members 36, may be arrangedone adjacent the other, as schematically indicated in FIG. 2, where ontop of the frame 23 the frame 23' may be arranged and on the right handside, as seen in FIG. 2, the frame 23" may be arranged to define acomplete unit of assembled frames 23, 23', 23", etc. Each vertical endmember 36 is provided with a hook member 37 projecting rearwardly out ofthe vertical end members 36, as clearly shown in FIGS. 2 and 8, wherebyeach frame 23 may be hooked onto the pertinent hook supporting member18.

If the size of the frame 23 requires it, between the two vertical endmembers 36 and preferably in front of an intermediate post 24, the mainbody portions 27 of the girders 22 have, in their rear portionsvertically aligned recesses 38 in which a longitudinal hook supportingbeam 39 is housed. The hook supporting beam 39 is provided with pairs ofoppositely arranged hook members 37' (only one pair is shown) which canthen likewise engage pertinent hook supporting members 18, as clearlyshown in FIG. 7.

In FIG. 6 an arrangement of two adjacent hollow plate supporting framesis very schematically shown and identified by reference numerals 23 and23". Actually, only the plate-like plastic members here identified byreference numeral 32 are shown. Each frame covers two box frames 12 andthus hooks 37 are used on the pertinent end portions, whileschematically indicated hooks 37 are used in the middle portion. It willbe understood that it becomes extremely simple to replace one of thesehoneycomb hollow plate supporting frames by another one or the entireset, if the illustration is to be changed.

To produce the image four types of plate-like plastic members 32 to 35(FIG. 2) are provided. Each type of plastic plate-like member comprisesa main plate portion 40 (FIG. 5) defining a substantially square frontzone and a continuous frame portion 50 and four skirt members 41, onecorresponding to each side linked to said frame portion 50. The skirtportions 41 are not linked at the corners. Each skirt portion 41 ends ina hook-shaped foot 42 and has an intermediate weakened zone defining ahinge 43. More particularly, as shown on the right hand side of FIG. 5,due to the recessed portion 43, the foot portion 42 can be bent inwardlyas shown in dotted lines and anchor by means of a snap action theplate-like plastic members into the recessed portions 28 and the posts24, as best shown in FIG. 8, whereby the cells are covered. Thestructure of the skirt portions 41 is identical for the four types ofplate-like plastic members 32 to 35. These plate-like plastic membersare divided into a first series of translucid members 32, a secondseries of opaque members 33, a third series of translucid members 34having in the middle portion an opening 44 (FIG. 2) and a fourth seriesof opaque members 35 having likewise an opening 44. The same referencenumeral has been used for both openings inasumch as they are of the sametype.

In addition, two types of disc-shaped inserts are pro vided, namely afirst type of disc-shaped translucid insert 45 and a second type ofdisc-shaped opaque insert 46. Both inserts 45 and 46 are of resilientplastic material and have an annular recess 47, so that these insertsmay be mounted to cover the pertinent openings, as clearly shownparticularly in FIG. 5. It is advisable that the cars 48, 49 defined bythe annular recess 47 are of the same length, so that they cover anequal portion of the main plate portion 40, in order that the light,which will be protected onto the plate-like plastic members 34 and 35,will have a constant equal capacity of illuminating the dilferentportions of the main plate portion 40 including in this event the insert46. By suitably combining the four series of plate-like plastic members32 to 35, any type of image can be achieved, such as the eye shown inFIG. 1, where some of the plate-like plastic members are identified bythe pertinent reference numerals 32 to 35. If desired, different coloursfor the plate-like members 32 to 35 and inserts 45, 46 may be providedto achieve additional effects, as will be obvious to anybody skilled inthe art.

A suitable size of each hollow plate supporting frame 23 is 990 mm. x990 mm. and such a frame is adapted to support 18 x 18 plate-likeplastic members.

Tests have shown that the light difiusion, in view of the fact that thetubular members 20 are arranged in such a way as to be in front of eachcell and since they are vertical with regard to the main body portion 27of the girders 22, hearing further in mind the light reflector casings,practically no shadows are generated and the sign is uniformlylluminated.

The expression opaque is to be interpreted as a relative qualificationfor the pertinent plate-like members and inserts with regard to thosewhich are translucid.

Obviously, instead of providing square shaped platelike plastic members,any other suitable shape can be provided if the cells defined by theframe have a pertinent complementary shape.

Although one embodiment of the invention has been illustrated anddescribed in detail, it is to be expressly understood that the inventionis not limited thereto. Various changes can be made in the design andarrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention as the same will now be understood by those skilled in theart.

I claim:

1. An advertising or decorative sign for representing images, comprisinga plurality of hollow plate supporting frames, each hollow platesupporting frame comprising parallelly spaced apart girders, each havinga main body portion and a head portion, said head portion having apolygonally-shaped cross section, and a plurality of parallelly spacedlinking posts, said posts having polygonallyshaped cross sections andare fitted in said head portions of said girders to define therewithcells, said girders and linking posts having end portions, end membershaving an outer flat surface and an inner complementary surface to saidhead portions surrounding said end portions of said linking posts andgirders, said outer flat surfaces of said end members of adacent hollowplate supporting frames being in facing relationship, whereby saidplurality of hollow plate supporting frames define a surface of thesign, a plurality of plate-like plastic members mountable over saidcells and defining a substantially continuous front surface on saidframe, each plate-like member having a resilient skirt for mounting saidplate-like member over said cells, said plate-like members comprising afirst series of translucid members, a second series of opaque members, athird series of translucid members having an opening and a fourth seriesof opaque members having an opening, a first type of translucidresilient plastic inserts and a second type of opaque resilient plasticinserts removably mountable on said fourth and third series of membersto cover said openings, hook members connected to said end members andprojecting out of said hollow plate supporting frames in a directionopposite to said head portions, light reflector casings have lightemitting means and complementary hook supporting members for receivingsaid hook members, said light emitting means being substantiallytransversely arranged with regard to said main body portions of saidgirders, said light emitting means being adapted to project light beamsonto said plate-like plastic members.

2. An advertising or decorative sign for representing images, as claimedin claim 1, wherein said light reflector casings comprise a plurality ofbox frames defining refiectors and housing said light emitting meanstherein, said linking posts and said girders defining an angle ofsubstantially 90 amongst themselves, said light emitting means beingarranged parallel to said posts, said box frames having hook supportingwalls parallel to said posts provided with said complementary hooksupporting members, a stationary frame-work, said box frames beingstationarily mounted on said stationary frame-work.

3. An advertising or decorative sign for representing images, as claimedin claim 1, wherein said main body portions of said girders in a zoneintermediate said end members and aligned with said linking posts defineat least one recess, a hook supporting beam mounted in said recess,additional hook members mounted on said hook supporting beam andprojecting out of said hollow plate supporting frame in a directionopposite to said head portions, said box frames having additionalcomplementary hook supporting members for said additional hook members.

4. An advertising or decorative sign for representing images, comprisinga plurality of hollow plate supporting frames, each hollow platesupporting frame comprising parallelly spaced apart girders, each havinga main body portion and a head portion, said head portion having apolygonally-shaped cross section, and a plurality of parallelly spacedlinking posts, said posts having polygonallyshaped cross sections andare fitted in said head portions of said girders to define therewithcells, said girders and linking posts having end portions, end membershaving an outer flat surface and an inner complementary surface to saidhead portions surrounding said end portions of said linking posts andgirders, said outer fiat surfaces of said end members of adacent hollowplate supporting frames being in facing relationship, whereby saidplurality of hollow plate supporting frames define a surface of thesign, a plurality of plate-like plastic members mountable over saidcells and defining a substantially continuous front surface on saidframe, each plate-like member having a resilient skirt for mounting saidplatelike member over said cells, said plate-like members comprising afirst series of translucid members, a second series of opaque members, athird series of translucid members having an opening and a fourth seriesof opaque members having an opening, a first type of translucidresilient plastic inserts and a second type of opaque resilient plasticinserts removably mountable on said fourth and third series of membersto cover said openings.

5. The advertising or decorative sign for representing images as claimedin claim 4, comprising light reflector casings having light emittingmeans adjacent said main body portion of said girders of said hollowplate supporting frames, opposite said head portions.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 664,222 12/1900 Krumiviede 40-1301,064,897 6/1913 Gabet 40-28 C 1,778,778 10/1930 Voshardt 40-1332,263,281 11/1941 Von Tadden 40-28 C 3,076,890 2/1963 Guth 4014-3FOREIGN PATENTS 335,328 9/1930 Great Britain.

EUGENE R. CAPOZIO, Primary Examiner.

W. J. C'ONTRERAS, Assistant Examiner.

